


Sit! Sit, I said!

by the_Frank



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is a dog, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Romance, Drama & Romance, F/F, Rated for Deadpool's Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26854855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_Frank/pseuds/the_Frank
Summary: Rose's are redViolets are blue.Adora is a dog.That's all you need to no.Violets are blueRoses are redCatra is humanWe start with her in bed.Happy dogs. Their grumpy owners. Disdain that changes into something else.And as usual, a very friendly Scorpia.
Relationships: Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Perfuma & Scorpia (She-Ra), They're not the main couple but they're there and where ever they are there's fun to be found.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	Sit! Sit, I said!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bizerbit](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Bizerbit).



So, you've probably read this before, right? A simple love story, girl meets girl, love is in the air, fluff ensues. Yeah, if you look at it that way, that's true.

But no love story is the same, and not one starts or ends at the same place as another. You may THINK it's the same old story. But it all comes down to where it begins.

This one begins in Etheria City, in the part of the city officially named Fir's Peak, but known to almost everyone as the "Fright" zone. In one special apartment, located on the third floor of 1523 Palace Road…

* * *

The apartment was small. It boasted two rooms: one a bedroom, the other a combination kitchen and dining room. (That wasn't much of an inconvenience since it rarely was inhabited by more than three people at once, and most of the cooking was reheating different types of fast food.) There was a sofa, too big for one to sit in. (but perfect to doze off and play say Fortnite in, with a box containing pizza placed on one's belly.)

A small throng, which the landlord without shame called a hallway, led to the front door.  
It also contained the apartment's only door, behind which was the toilet and a bath with shower.

A drapery made from mock-bamboo separated the bedroom from the kitchen. The main colour of the apartment was yellow, but the drapery was painted a shock pink, for the one reason that it made people look funny when they saw it.

The bedroom was furnished with one large single bed. Framework, thick mattress, thin mattress, sheet, duvet and pillow. The bedroom's walls were not bare, there was one poster of a train that had run through a wall and the quote "Oh shit" written on it. There was also a digital clock that said 7.57 a.m. It was probably running a few minutes late since it was an old fashioned one that ran on batteries and had no connection to any network whatsoever. It was designed to look like a computer screen, and except the time, you could tell the date, outside and inside temperature and air pressure. It was old and rather tacky, but the woman who inhabited the flat where it hung liked it. It was a reminder of another time.

The woman in question was still fast asleep on the bed. She was a calm sleeper, laying on her right side in a kind of fetal position. A content smile proved that her sleep was easy and her dreams pleasant.

And then there was a rustle in the bamboo. Sounds of eager paws against the cheap linoleum, and seconds later a huge tongue layered her face with saliva.

The woman reluctantly opened her eyes. One gold and one turquoise eye looked right into the two light blue, very happy and very excited eyes of a Golden Retriever.

"Adora, for crying out loud…"

"Woff!"

The woman rolled over and closed her eyes. The Golden Retriever tilted her head slightly, then she jumped up on the bed and gave the woman another lick on her face. Without opening her eyes she muttered: "Adora… It's Sunday… Let mommy sleep, please…"

"Woof!"

"I don't care. It's too early. Get out. Go… back to the sofa and come back after the cartoons, ok?"

The dog blinked, and jumped off the bed. The woman sighed satisfied and began to doze off…

...when suddenly she felt how the thin mattress was being pulled off the bed and down on the floor.

"Adora! No! Stop! Bad girl! Baaaaa…"

*Thomp*

"Woof!"

The woman sat up and gave her pet a look that would have killed weaker people. Adora just looked back at her with her usual happy face, and gave out a proud bark.

"Woof!"

"Adora, you bitch! BITCH I tell you! Bitch… Why am I even trying? You don't even get offended by that..."

"Woof!"

"I could have gotten a gold fish or an ant farm but apparently that 'doesn't count' as a support animal…"

Adora turned, and wagging her tail she left the room for the kitchen. The woman got up from the floor, yawned and scratched herself wherever it was necessary. At that moment, her phone rang.

Caller: Scorpia.

“It’s too early…” She still answered the call. “What do you want?”

_“Morning Wildcat! I'm not going to ask if I woke you up, I know Adora took care of that.”_

“Don’t call me that…”

_“Sorry, sorry! Catherine. Though it’s a teeeensy bit unfair that you get to call me a nick when I…”_

“Alright, SOPHIA. Out with it. I don’t want a longer conversation than necessary.”

_“You’re always so grumpy wildcat! Sorry, Cat! Catherine!! Cat-Catherine? Cat-arah? Cat-ra?"_

"NO! Just call me Catherine!"

_"I am calling Catherine?! Or did I hit the wrong button? ...No, it says Wildcat, so it is you. Anyway, you should start the day with some simple workouts or maybe a yoga routine! Patricia showed me some, it’s the best way to fill yourself with energy to…”_

“Scorpia. I am hanging up on you in 3. 2. 1…”

_“Okay, okay! What I want to say is: Don't forget the traditional Sunday Brunch! Patricia spent almost the whole evening yesterday preparing and the whole house smells delicious! You would think even the toilet chair was a soup tureen!”_

There was a short silence.

_“But seriously. Don't. It's not. No really. It's not.”_

“Scorpia, Why would anyone even… You know what, don’t answer. I don’t care. And no, I haven’t forgotten. Also, we said noon. It’s eight something in the morning. Why did you feel the need to call me about this now?”

_“Umm… There was something else… HONEY, WHY WAS I CALLING Catherine AGAIN?”_

“Jesus…”

Some high pitched mumbling in the background, and the Scorpia's voice returned. _“Oh yes! If you happen to pass work on your way to us, can you bring me another form for vacation requests? Not that I have forgotten where I put the one you gave me last week!”_ She added rapidly, _” I just… It's good to have a back-up, right?”_

Catherine smiled.

“Hmm… I don’t know… Mr Hordak thinks you ought oa keep a better tab on your stuff…”

_“Come on, Wild… Catherine! We’re buddies!”_

“No we’re not. We work at the same place. That’s all.”

_“Yeah, of course. Just associates. We just have dinner together and brunch every Saturday and we watch Adora when you’re out clubbing and when you’re hungover and…”_

“I. Was. Kidding.”

_“Oh. Yeah… Totally got that! Ha ha!”_

Catherine was more or less fully awake, but it was still before tea, and Scorpia was hard enough to listen to without caffeine.

“Okay, Scorpia, I have stuff to do. I will get your form and we will come by around 11.45, okay?”

_“Oooooh… is this the day when Sunday brunch finally becomes a double date?”_

“NO! NO! Christ, I meant _me and Adora!”_

A distant “Woof!” could be heard from the kitchen.

_“Oh. Too bad.”_

“Well, I am so sorry for not fulfilling your’s and Patricia’s romantic delusions! See. You. Later.”

_“Ok, wildcat! BUT if it should happen, please inform us prior so I can make the table for four. Patricia would never forgive me if I greeted a guest wrong. Especially your date, wildcat.”_

“LATER SCORPIA!”

And then she hung up, threw her cell on the bed and left for the kitchen. Next to her bowls, Adora sat expectantly, tail still wagging and tongue out of her mouth. Catherine glared at the dog.

"First you. Then Scorpia. You don't deserve any food. Not after that."

Adora didn't react, she blinked and panted like she always did. Catherine's irritation grew, and needed an output. Adora had to do. Catherine squatted down on the floor, looked the Golden retriever in the eyes and said slowly and angrily:

"Do you understand what you have done? You did WRONG! Wrong! Bad dog! Mommy's HURT!"

Adora's response was to bark happily and lick Catherine's face again. Catherine looked at Adora with a flat mouth.

"You're too dumb to live.” Then she sighed and added, “But I guess you're too dumb to understand that, aren't you, Adora?"

"Woff!"

Catherine sighed again and went to the pantry where she kept the dog food, took out a can, opened it and emptied the content in the bowl. Adora more or less attacked it and for the moment the bowl looked like it was a part of her head.

Catherine shook her head and went for the stove to make tea. As the water heated up, she made two sandwiches of hard bread, salad, thin sliced chicken breast and boiled eggs. She spent a few minutes while she waited for the tea to get ready looking for her phone, until she remembered she had thrown it earlier. She went back to her bedroom, put on a new T-shirt and fresh underwear (And socks. Always socks in an apartment you shared with Adora. No pants. Not before tea.) She then poured herself a cup of tea and ate the first sandwich while checking her Facebook and Insta. She laughed at some new videos and clicked past the news. She had three new text messages. One was from a phone company offering a 20% discount if she yada yada yada. The second was from her therapist, reminding her about their next session being moved from Wednesday to Thursday. The woman looked at the time it was sent. Yesterday at 7.04 p.m.

 _Working late on a Saturday evening… Typical hippie_ , she thought to herself.

The third was from Scorpia.

_Don’t forget. Form. 11.30. Call if you bring a date._  
_ScorPhia (the H is silent. Like a fox.)_

It was hard for the common man to smile, sneer and roll one's eyes at the same time, but Catherine was mastering it. Her full name was Catherine Mia Dacosta. Miss Dacosta for her employers and underlings, Wildcat for no-one, in spite of Scorpia using it since she came up with it and thought it was funny.

They both worked for the same security firm, and with the "Fright" zone having the name it had, they were rather busy. They had started both as guards to earn some cash while studying. When Catherine got her exam she moved up some pay grades to secretary and now she was more or less second in command. But still a secretary.

Scorpia never got her degree, she realized that being huge, intimidating and strong also put food on her table. And now she was also a few pay grades up as captain of her own group of guards.

She was as well liked by her colleagues for her good mood as she was disliked by her superiors for her messy paperwork. Usually it was Catherine's job to get some order in it.

Scorpia's real name was Sophia Scoretti, Scorpia being her email back in college. Well, technically it had been scorphia.wcu06@EtUn.com, but it was cooler with a silent h. Catherine had liked it well enough and started to call her by that name and now it was stuck. She took a sip from her tea and read the text again.

_Date. F.O._

She decided to not answer as punishment. Her being single was not a problem, and it was not Scorpia's business anyway.

"Woof" Adora looked briefly up from her bowl.

"Yes yes. I have you. You don't need to remind me…"

She took her mug and the second sandwich and sat down on the sofa. The moment Adora had finished eating and noticed that Catherine sat down she ran out into the hallway. She soon returned with a leash which she dropped on the table.

"Woof!"

Catherine looked up from her phone, mug in hand. "Adora, I am eating!"

"Woof! Woof!" Adora made a gesture with her head towards the window. Catherine rolled her eyes.

"I don't care that it's a beautiful day! I am still eating!"

"WOOF" The dog made a sudden dive towards the edge of the table, trying to steal the sandwich. Because without her sandwich mommy was done eating, and then she would have time to go out, wouldn't she? But the woman was faster, got hold of the sandwich and gave the dog a light smack on her forehead.

"ADORA! BAD GIRL! BAD!"

The dog whimpered and looked away. The woman glared at the dog as she ate the other sandwich. Adora tried to come closer a few times, but Catherine hissed at her every time, which made her back off. But as soon as Catherine was done with the sandwich, Adora slowly approached her and placed her head on her lap.

"Woof?"

The woman sighed, smiled a little and petted the Golden Retriever behind her ears.  
"I can't stay mad at you, you idiot. We're two crazy bitches you and I, aren't we, Adora?"

"WOOF!"

"Word. Alright. Let’s go outside. -But- Not a long run. I am NOT in the mood, okay?"

"Woof!"

"Yeah, somehow I don't believe you."

* * *

Pants and sneakers (and a scarf for Adora) later, they went outside. Adora wanted to take the stairs, but a pull on the leash got her into the elevator. It was still too early for three stairs. The day was the early days of fall but the air was still reasonably warm. Catherine had decided to wear the flannel today and skip the jacket. They walked a few blocks down towards a nearby park. Adora was a happy and well behaved dog when she wanted to, and she made no fuzz as they walked down the street. Catherine glanced occasionally in the store windows. In one of them she got a good look at herself. 31 years old, 5 feet 2, perhaps slightly more keen on Take-away than the gym. But over all, pretty decent. Her brown neck-long hair was pushing it's permitted length though, and she realized she also had forgotten to brush it.

“Damn. I look like I had really bad sex last night.”

“Woof!”

“You don’t HAVE to agree, Adora!”

“Woof!”

“Haircut? Nah. I’m saving up for a PS5.”

“Woof! Woof!”

“Please. I am sexy as it is. Besides, I want a PS5 more than a girlfriend right now.”

“WOOF!”

"I am not in denial! I am well off on my own! I don't need two or three people to be happy."

"Woof woof!"

“You’re just saying that because you think you will get more food if I got together with someone.”

“Wooof…”

Adora whimpered, very rare for the dog. Catherine sighed.

“Yeah… Let’s talk about more fun stuff. Look, there’s the park! So, let’s make a deal. You get to run free, I can play on my phone. Don’t disturb me, don’t scare any kids, don’t catch any squirrels. Ok?”

“WOOF!”

“Dog biscuits IF you behave.”

“Woof.”

As they entered the park, Catherine let Adora run free and sat down on a bench. She played a few games, throwing a glance at Adora from time to time. The dog was running up and down like her tail was on fire, but she stayed within the park's premises and made sure not to upset Catherine. She knew that mommy could be really mean and not give her dog biscuits even if the squirrels were asking for it.

Then all of a sudden she stopped. And sniffed. There was an interesting smell. Reeeally interesting. Something big. Something strong. Something _doggy_! Somewhere behind that bush!

She ran off immediately and ignored Catherine's yelling.

“ADORA! COME BACK! ADORA! ADora! A…”

Where was it? Where did it come from? There? No, there! No… There…

In almost the opposite part of the park, there was another mommy sitting on a bench, looking at her beepy thing while her dog was playing. Although, this dog was HUGE. Almost a head taller than Adora. Now THIS was interesting...

“Woof!” Adora barked happily.

* * *

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

"BARK!"

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

Catherine was running. It had been easy for her to find the direction in which Adora had run. The sound of her happy, and VERY loud barking could be heard all over the park.

"Please don't kill them please don't kill them please tell me you're just trying to hug them…"

And then she saw them. Two dogs in a huge pile, connected with teeth at places on a body where teeth were rather bad.

And then she saw the other woman, screaming.

"ADORA!" Her first instinct was to protect her dog. Her second was to kill in her herself as soon as they got away from here. She wasn't ready to go near them just just, but from what she could see, there was no blood. She drew a sigh of relief. Then she turned and screamed to the other woman: "WHAT the FUCK are you DOING? Are you trying to kill my dog?"

As cynical as Catherine was, in her heart Adora would still be the clumsy little puppy that had followed her home from the pound years ago. Any sane idea that the other dog (A German Shepherd, btw.) probably was trained flew out the window, all Catherine saw was CLAWS and FANGS and REALLY STUPID HAIR!

The other woman stared back, two seconds of supriced silence and then she screamed back:

"What I'm doing? YOUR DOG ATTACKED ME!"

"THIS LOOKS LIKE NO DAMN ATTACK TO ME!"

"HUNTARA IS JUST DEFENDING HERSELF!"

As on cue, Adora managed to tip Huntara over, nibbled on her ear a bit and then jumped back and ran away again. Huntara was quick on her paws in pursuit and the game was afoot again.

"Well… YEAH! DEFENDING!"

"THAT'S NOT DEFENDING, THAT'S PURSUIT!"

As Adora came running out from the bushes towards them with Huntara hot on her tail, Catherine stepped out. She gave a short order. "Adora. Down."

Adora was never sure when she had crossed a line, but she did know when she was way past that line. From the look on mommy's face she had crashed and broken several.

Catherine stepped in between the dogs, and since Huntara was trained she stopped and backed away from the intervening human.

Adora was laying flat against the ground, whimpering. Catherine fastened the leach as she spoke. "Lie down and STAY down."

"Woof…"

"Thank you."

The other woman was almost as loud as her dog.

"Huntara! Stay!” then she turned to Catherine, “What were you thinking, letting that beast loose? People like you shouldn't be allowed to have dogs!"

Catherine stared at the other woman, breathing through her nose.

"Oh!? I shouldn't have a dog? What about YOU then? That dog is twice your size, Sparkles! You trying to hold her back would be like stopping a train with a ball of yarn!"

"WHAT did you just call me?"

"You heard me, Sparkles Sparkly-face!"

"You...you...Your dog was attacking me!"

"YOUR dog was KILLING my dog!"

"She was defending me!"

"She was PINNING HER TO THE GROUND, AIMING FOR HER THROAT!"

"Well, it's not like YOUR dog was any better!?"

"She is a TON better than YOUR dog!"

The sparkling woman opened her mouth for a reply, pointing at Catherine. But she closed her mouth, closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Huntara. Let's go home."

Catherine wasn't ready to let things go just yet.

"Huntara. What a stupid name."

The other woman was already a few feet away, she stopped and said over her shoulder: "Oh yeah? What do you call your dog, ass-face?"

"It's a much better name than that!"

"So you do call her ass-face then."

Catherine bit her lip.

  
"Adora. Up. We're leaving."

The sparkling woman snorted. "Adora. What kind of a name is that?" And then they left.

"It's a good name…" Catherine muttered.

***

They walked home in mostly silence. As they had closed the door behind them, Catherine sat down. Adora tried to climb into her lap, but Catherine pushed her away.

"Down, Adora. DOWN. STAY."

"Wooooof…"

Silence.

"I am VERY disappointed in you, Adora!"

"Woof…"

"Yeah, woof all you want! You have been a bad, bad girl! A really bad girl! You DON'T run away from me. You DON'T start fights with other dogs."

She was silent for a while.

"And you don't make other dog's owners yell at me. Especially those with really stupid hair."

Adora made the biggest puppy eyes possible as she lay on the floor. Those big blue eyes could usually melt an iceberg but not today.

"I ought to leave you at home. You don't deserve Patricia's special dog stew. But I don't want to disappoint her so you're coming with me anyway. But don't think you're out of the dog house! NO BISQUITS. NO PARK FOR A MONTH. You. Have been a BAD DOG."

Geez. Mommy was mad. And that made Adora sad, she didn't like it when mommy was upset with her. Usually it blew over quickly but now…

Then the insight hit Catherine.  
"Oooooh shiiit… Scorpias form. I forgot. I was going to go there after the park. Now we have to walk the whole way back again. I don't want to… stupid stupid...bitch."

The park, and the security company's office was in the opposite direction of Scorpia's and Patricia's home.

"Shit."

"Woof."

"Shut up, Adora."

Catherine didn't like to be angry. She had a rather nasty temper, she knew that. Didn't mean she liked it. Now, Adora HAD misbehaved. Alright, so they weren't really killing each other. Probably. Adora was playing, she loved playing rough. The other dog… 50/50 between roughhousing and assaulting. But Adora could take it. Probably.

No, it was that woman. God, she was a piece of schtick. Catherine knew the type.

Expensive clothes, expensive dog, expensive haircut (probably). She had met them in the office, in shops, at the beach, the park, school…

People who thought they were better than her.

She groaned, and switched clothes.

"I am going for a jog and to get Scorpia's paper. You are NOT coming."

"Woof…"

"Yes Adora. Woof indeed."

Taking a run without Adora was odd, but necessary. Her mind cleared, she calmed down. By the time she reached the office, she was almost back to herself.

Perhaps it was a bit too much with no park for a month. Just a timeout would probably do it.

She walked over to her desk, opened a cabinet named "TSF", (short for 'things Scorpia forgets') took out the form in question and left.

Weaver had not been at the office. Always something.

As she got home, she took a shower, and sat down on the couch. Adora had not left the floor during that whole time. (The saliva poodle proved it.)  
Now Catherine called for her.

"Adora. Here."

Quick as a weasel Adora was next to Catherine.

"I can't stay mad at you for long, you idiot."

"Woof!"

"Just… Try to keep a little bit more distance next time, ok?"

"Woof!"

"Now, you still did wrong! So no bisquits!"

"Woof…"

"Today. Maybe tomorrow. If you behave at Scorpia's. Okay?"

"Woof!"

* * *

Brunch o'clock had come and passed. Now they were back in the apartment, around 3 p.m. Catherines mood had been lifted after the, as usual, delicious meal. Catherine was the born carnivore, but Patricia's vegan food was something else. It actually tasted like food. Scorpia and Patricia were good people. In small portions.

Adora was sleeping in a corner, snoring like an old gran. Patricia's homemade dog food was so damn nutritious, and rich on protein that Adora would be out for hours. They had their own dog, a puppy named Frosta. She was a Maltese, and tonight she had been locked up in the bedroom most of the time. They needed 'some time apart' as Patricia put it.

Catherine took the opportunity to shower. She rarely did at home, since Adora loved water as well, but with her asleep she had the time for giving her brown locks a good do-over.

"It takes blood, sweat and conditioner to get this hair" she usually said when someone complimented her.

Okay, it had been two times. Still a good line.

After the shower (no blow dryer, just towels until Adora was awake.) Catherine put on a pair of shorts and a linen and fell down on the couch. Her plan was to nap until Adora unrelenting wake up call around 7 p.m.

She closed her eyes but sleeping didn't really work out. Because there was this face plastered on her retina, every second she closed her eyes.

The stupid dog lady from the park.

Catherine saw her stupid face again, how that big mouth had been yapping at her like a damn excavator!

And she stared at her with those big stupid eyes… What the eff was wrong with her eyes?

And that HAIR.

Was it sparkling?

Catherine gave up after half an hour and spent her afternoon playing video games until Adora got hungry.

* * *

One week passed. Another Sunday.

"Woof!"

"Adora, I am begging yoooooouuuaaaauch!"

As she watched Adora's happy tail disappear into the kitchen she said to herself:

"I will NAIL the mattress to the bed… But I bet then she would bite my leg and pull me out of the bed…"

Her phone beeped. Scorpia. A reminder about brunch and _could you please pick up my back-pack from work? Please? Pretty please?_

"How does one even forget a back-pack... I am surrounded by weirdos!"

"Woof!"

"Yes, I am including you in that category!"

"WOOF!"

As she had to pass her work again, she decided to treat Adora with a run in the park.

"Okay Adora. Normal rules. And no misbehaving, okay?"

"Woof."

"No, I don't trust you. Now stay. Stay! I will unleash you, and you will STAY okay?"

Adora didn't answer, and as Catherine unleashed her, Adora ran away almost instantly. Catherine swore and started to run after her.

"ADORA! ADORA! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"

She already had a vision of that stupid dog lady screaming at her again. This time she had visions of a bleeding Adora hanging from the jaws of the beast that wicked woman called a dog. But as she went around the bushes, all she found was Adora standing still on the grass. There was no one in sight, save for a guy on a bike in the distance. Adora was completely still, until she heard Catherine and turned her head. Catherine stared in surprise at her dog. She looked… sad. She had no idea Adora COULD look sad. She came back to Catherine, whimpering.

"What is it, Adora? Did something hurt you?"

Adora whimpered and stroked her head against Catherine's thigh. She kneels down next to her dog and strokes her over the head.

"Hey… hey… It's okay. Mommy's here. It's okay. What is it? “

But the dog didn't answer. She just lowered her head and poked her nose against Catherine's thigh again.

"The...leach? You want the leach?"

"Woof."

"Why do you want the leach? ...Do you want to go home?"

"Woof."

"Eh… Okay. Let's go home. I guess."

For a second she had been worried that that woman and her monster of a dog had been there, that they were the cause of Adora’s dismay. But now she was glad they hadn’t been there at all. Not only was Adora safe, Catherine didn't have to see that stupid face again, with that stupid big mouth and that weird hair. And her eyes. And those damn Clothes! Who wears that kind of outfit on a Sunday? For a second she wondered where she could be, but she let that one fall quickly. Who cared anyway? She wasn't there to shout at her, and that was all there was to it.

With some slight tugging she managed to get Adora to follow her to Scorpia’s. But she ate very little of her food, and let Frosta have her way with her the whole time. Even Patricia looked worried. No one said it out loud though, and Catherine made sure the conversation never led into anything Adora-related. Because it wasn’t anything to worry about. Really. Nothing that a good night’s sleep would take care about.

As they came home, Adora went to her usual corner and lay down. She didn't get up anymore that day until dinner. Catherine tried to tell herself that she was glad the damn dog was still for a change, but as the evening passed, she got more and more worried. And she wasn’t the only one, that night she got the shortest text from Scorpia ever.

_Is Adora sick?_

She replied that she didn't think so, but she would call the vet later. That night she slept on the sofa so Adora wouldn’t be alone. In case of.

But Monday morning saw Adora wolf down her breakfast as usual, and as the week went on, Adora returned to her usual self more and more for every day. And on Sunday, Catherine found herself dragged down to the floor again.

"I need to get a door…"

"WOOF!"

This time, the visit to the park was involuntary. Adora more or less dragged her there, and once there she dragged her around the whole park. Catherine had no intention to let her run free this time, even if she had to walk as well. Adora went all over the park, looking for something. A few times she stopped and sniffed the ground or a tree. But in the end there was nothing. The walk home was slow and Adoras head hung close to the ground the whole time.

That day was the first day in months that Catherine had to cancel brunch. She couldn't get Adora out the door after they had returned to the apartment and she didn’t want to leave her alone. Scorpia had made very little fuzz when she called her on the way home to cancel. She just made a "naaaw" sound and said she would call back later.

Catra lay down next to Adora on her blanket. She stroked her dog over her head and back.

"You stupid, crazy bitch... What is troubling your mind now…"

Sometime during the afternoon she must have fallen asleep, because she woke up to the sounds of pots and pans being handled.

Now she understood the lack of reaction from Scorpia. The woman in question was standing in her apartment. Cleaning. And at the stove was Patricia, looking all rosy and sweaty over something Catherine knew she could never pronounce, but what smelled delicious.

"Ah! You're awake, wildcat!"

"Don't call me that! And how did you get in?" It was in times like these (it was a strange habit being on the floor looking up on Scorpia, and she never understood why it kept happening.) it struck her how BIG her friend was. She was a head and a half taller then Catherine, built like a brickhouse and had arms the size of legs, and legs the size of steel bulks. She also had a temperament akin to Adora, a big strong muscular teddy bear. _Such a waste of muscles… She should have become an assassin._

"The door wasn't locked."

Oh.

"Why are you here?"

"Well… Most of the cooking was already done, and you know Patricia. She hates to throw away food. And we know how much you and Adora appreciate it."

Patricias lifted an oven glove covered hand in a salute, and returned to her pots. She was as tall as Scorpia, and shared her girlfriends annoyingly friendly demeanor, but where Scorpia was bulky, Patricia was slim and thin, almost _Eternia’s next top model_ -thin. And where Scorpias hair was short, Patricia's hair reached the floor of any house she visited. _Okay, not really, but it draws attention to her butt all the time._ And she loved flowers. Yuk. She had cute freckles, Catherine had to admit that.

Catherine was more rudely awakened than actually angry but she still said "Food better be EXTRA super today. And next time, CALL."

Food was delicious again, as it always was, and Catherine had to admit that if she was to be burgled, she preferred to be burgled from people who gave her stuff and cleaned up after them.

Even Adora could be persuaded to come and join them for brunch. And she ate all of it, although slower than the wolfing she usually devoted herself to.

"So, did the vet find anything?" Patricia was a few years younger, and still at uni, studying to be a psychologist. Catherine wasn't very keen on answering any of her questions these days.  
She usually ended up talking about her mother, and ONE therapist was enough, thank you very much. But a question about Adora would probably be safe, she thought to herself.

"Well, we never went. She was back to normal, her normal that is, by Friday. So I figured it was nothing."

"Sure doesn't look like nothing, wildcat! She never eats this slow."

"Don't call me… oh whatever. Yeah, today was worse, but I mean… we haven't done anything. We went to the park, but…"

"Aha! The park! That is significant!"

"What? No, we've been there before without a hitch!"

"Yes, but last Sunday you went to the park as well, right? And it was after that visit she was like this the first time. Did something happen in the park? And while we’re at it, does she get enough exercise? That does have an impact on a dog’s mood."

“Are you trying to be a dog whisperer too?”

“We _do_ have a dog, Catherine. We have some knowledge about them. So, please answer my question.”

“Well, I try to take her to the park once a week. I am allowed to bring her to work when Kyle has his day off and Lonnie likes to bring her along when she patrols the school grounds… That's plenty if you ask me.” Catherine started to feel annoyed, even if it came from a good place, Patricia was nosy! “Look, there was nothing! Okay, she did run away from me again, but save for that nothing happened out of the ordinary.”

“Aha!”

“Aha what?”

“You said again? So she has done that before? Can you tell me a little about her social life?”

Scorpia’s eyes glittered. “Man. I just love it when you get all serious and ph’d-y, babe!”

Patricia gave Scorpia a peck on her cheek. “Thank’s sweetie. But please don’t interrupt the session.”

 _Session? Really?I swear, if you bring out a notepad, I will kick you…_ “Her social life? She has me, and you guys, and Lonnie, and Frosta from time to time.”

“Yes, but what about dog’s her own size?”

“There aren’t many dogs her size.”

Patricia frowned, which was so rare Catherine raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean. Dogs around her size then.”

“Yeah yeah. Well, nothing. Well, save for that… Oh no.”

Catherine closed her eyes and facepalmed. God, had she been STUPID.

“There was this… other dog in the park. A big one. A really big one.”

“AhAAA!” Scorpia. Catherine glanced at her. Patricia nodded.

“Do go on?”

“Yeah, when she ran off the first time she… I thought she was fighting with this dog but…”

“Dog behaviour is hard, but are you sure they were fighting?”

“Um… I did at the time… I mean. Adora wouldn’t know the difference between a real fight and a play fight even if she was bleeding… She would see it as a game anyway but… Now that I think about it…”

“Perhaps you should tell us all?”

Catherine swallowed and let her mind go back to that Sunday two weeks ago...

***

_Adora was so very much a goofball and the happiest dog around but she had one large sorrow in her life. She was big. Much bigger than most dogs she knew. She was a very social dog, she loved company and she loved to play with other dogs. However, she had almost no playmates. She couldn’t play with Scorpias and Patricia's Frosta. (The Maltese WAS fierce, but Adora almost broke her bone once while they were playing catch.) She wasn’t allowed near the dog cafe after the incident with the Bulldogs. Apparently you can get them to run. And they were not talking about what happened to Emily… But THIS dog… Almost a head taller than Adora. Strong muscular forelegs. A back that one small human could sit on. THIS one would probably not mind some fun!_

_Adora approached the dog in a gentle manner. (She ran fast towards them as she barked happily, tail spinning like a copter.)_

_On the bench, the other woman looked up at the unknown dog that came running towards them. She wasn't afraid of dogs, but she knew how to approach them with respect and show them who was in charge. And if that didn't help…_

_"Huntara! Guard!"_

_Huntara was a prime specimen of a watchdog. A German shepherd, tall and muscular. She knew she looked scary and she knew how to behave scary when Missy asked her too. And this dog, this… intruder was getting very close to her Missy's personal space. She stood at attention, her weight shifted forward, head high and tail slowly wagging to her left. Everything in her posture screamed "back off."_

_Adora did not back off. She did stop at a few yards distance, tail still spinning and yappering friendly and happily. She ran a few yards around herself, and barked expectantly._

_Huntara was confused. She had done everything she had learned in training, and this damn dog was yapping at her? Such insolence! Such unworthy behaviour! And now she pulled her scarf off and threw it in the air and caught it! That scarf, a symbol of the sacred bond between dog and owner, and she… this blasphemist PLAYED with it!_

_And she was getting awfully close._

_"Woof!"_

_Now, Huntara never played. She wasn't that kind of dog, she was exercising, training, practicing._

_And yes, normally, by now she would have attacked or at least lunged at this… invader._

_But where Adoras biggest disappointment was the lack of playmates, Huntara's disappointment was the lack of enduring sparring partners._  
_Huntara took in this other dog. Not as big as her, but really, who was? But enthusiastic. And there were a lot of muscles on those bones. Way too much fur. Well-kept teeth. Nah, she was no watchdog, not by far._

_But she looked like she could take the heat._

_And with a loud bark, she jumped on Adora. Adora answered to Huntaras jump by headbutting her, then she backed off a bit and tried to jump up on Huntara’s back. Huntara growled and shaked off Adora with ease. Then she managed to tip her over and pin her to the ground as she tried to find an opening to bite down her neck. Adora barked, loud and excited, after a while she managed to get loose and ran straight into a nearby bush, Huntara at her tail. Soon they were back in the middle of the field, struggling over who would be on top._

_There was a lot of noise, lots of teeth and lots of sweat and adrenaline._

_To put it short, Adora had the time of her life!_

_Huntara had to admit it was pretty fun. The other dog didn't take it as seriously as she would have preferred but she fought like a true watcher. The fact that her Missy stood on the side and kept giving her orders was ignored at the moment. Disciplinary actions were to follow, she knew that. But right now she really didn't care._

_Dogs playing can sometimes look, and be, slightly violent, but good owners who know their dogs and prepare them, know what's a fight and what's not. They know when it's time to step in and when to just let things go. Now, with two pent up alpha females, even for the trained and experienced owner, playing looks very much like a showdown from a superhero movie, although with sharper claws._

_And it was about that time that Catherine arrived at the scene._

_***_

“...And then she said ‘what kind of a fucking name is Adora’ and then she left. Oh god I have been so stupid… They must have been playing, they must have! And there I was, screaming… And THAT WOMAN…”

Patricia nodded. “Yes. To Adora, it was probably just fun and games. She is a big dog after all, and it is probable that she has been looking for a dog her size to really rock it off. And when revisiting the park, she remembered last time and she probably expected to meet that dog again! And when she wasn’t there…” Patricia paused. “Well, you see how she looks now.”

“She’s pining for the fjords!”

Catherine and Patricia stared at Scorpia.

“What?”

“Oh, come on guys! The Norweigan blue! The dead parrot! You must have seen it, it’s a classic!”

“Yes dear, it’s all good.” Patricia patted Scorpia's hand and looked at Catherine again. “I say it’s pretty clear what you need to do. You have to find that dog again.”

Catherine shrugged her shoulders. “Oh yeah, because that is so easy! I should just check the register to see if I find a huge German Shepherd named… whatever that stupid name was.”

“Whatever? That is a stupid name for a dog!”

When Catherine and Patricia looked at her deadpan, Scorpia sighed. “Can you guys NEVER take a joke? Oh whatever… I’m off to the dishes. But hey!” She stopped herself halfway up from her chair. “How did the owner look? Maybe we know her?”

Catherine groaned. “In a town this big? Oh, SURE! But, it’s not like I have anything better to do. So, she was shorter than me. Not much, perhaps she reached up to… here?” Catherine showed with her hand a few inches down on her forehead. “And she had pink hair. Fluffy. Not like mine fluffy, she looked like she had… a damn cake on her head. And she sparkled. Sparkled like a damn drink on new year’s eve. She was chubby. That weird kinda “I have hips but I can still buy expensive clothes-chubby. And then it was her eyes… They were. Big. I mean, like HUGE. And dark brown. And she had this really small nose. And she blushed like heck when she got angry.” Catherine paused. “ Made her look really really dumb. And… Why are you smiling like that?”

“Nothing wildcat. Just admiring your ability to nail someone's personality with so few words. Go on.” Scorpia’s eyes were sparkling. Catherine gave Scorpia a long look and breathed through her nose for some minutes, but eventually she continued. “As I said, she had expensive clothes. Can’t really say anything about the brand, but they cost more than the suit I wear at work, that’s for sure.”

Scorpia snorted. “Yeah, try to get Miss Weaver to buy anything in another place than the 3-dollar store!”

“Heh. Yeah, if she could, she would demand that we bought the fabric ourselves and sew them.” Catherine was happy for the opportunity to change the subject from that annoying woman and to her favourite subject: Trash-talking her boss.

“Or wore uniforms made out of burlap!”

“And we would have water pistols and cucumbers instead of guns and batons!”

“For real!”

The two women laughed, slightly louder than the exchange was worth. Patricia on her hand had been quiet for some time, but now she spoke. “I think I know who it is.”

“WHAT?” Catherine shot up from the sofa, but after sitting down for the meal all the blood rushed and she had to fall back again. “Ouch… But really. What? You know her? REALLY?”

“Well, I don’t know her name… but I have seen her at the yoga center. And she has brought a dog a few times. German Shepherd. The way you described her haircut was ...rude, but I must admit it was quite on the spot.”

Catherine sank down into her sofa, hand covering her eyes. “Perfect. Now all I have to do is to stalk the yoga center. Great.”

She lifted her hand to see Patricia and Scorpia look at each other in a conspiratory manner. “I don’t think that will be necessary… “

* * *

Brightmoon Boulevard 3H

So. This was the place. It hadn’t even been hard. Patricia had called a friend at the yoga center and asked for a favour. Whatever kind of hold she had on that friend it must have been huge, because she got both the name AND the address. And the name of the dog. Huntara. The owner's name was Georgette Glimmer.

Georgette.

 _Because of course her name is_ fucking Georgette.

Catherine had waited almost the whole week. Monday she had gym anyway. Thursday was Kyle's day off, meaning she could bring Adora to work. That always meant overtime since Lonnie’s shift was longer than hers. And she had to stay at the office until she got her dog back. For real. Wednesday… She didn’t feel for it. But today she had no good excuses, and she had been peppered with a steady stream of texts from Scorpia since Monday lunch. So here she was, 5.34 p.m. The busride had been short and now she was outside the house. And had so been for a quarter of an hour. She kicked a stone and muttered to herself.

“Come on. You can do this. You have been making excuses for your company's lousy service for years. You can go up there, apologize, let the dogs play, have your old goofball back and go home.” But she was reluctant. She was pretty sure the reunion wasn’t going to be pleasant. Adora on the other hand, was overexcited. She had probably felt Huntaras scent since the bus stop and she was jumping with excitement. “Adora. ADORA! Still, okay? There will be other people here and… The apartment will probably be a tacky, expensive one. So behave. Okay?”

“Woof.”

“You can’t lie to save your own life.”

There was a code, but they managed to sneak in when an elderly man walked out. She looked at the list of tenants. G. Glimmer, fifth floor, flat number 337. The elevator ride was silent, save for Adora’s excited panting.

As they stepped into the corridor, Catherine noticed to her dismay there were no names, only numbers. She muttered "shit". She didn't remember the number, save for that it started with 3.

" Woof!"

"I am NOT going back down. No way."

_I can wait. Sooner or later they have to get out. … sooner. Well, later is a possibility I guess._

"Woof!"

"Adora! No!"

"-ark!"

"-ntara!"

_Well, or that happens…_

Catherine walked towards the door where the sound of the dog had come from. 337. Okay. She took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

She opened the door.

"Yes, what can we do for… It's YOU!"

Instantly she tried to close the door. That might have worked, but at that moment Adora noticed a familiar face. The German Shepherd was standing a few feet behind this Georgette, and Adora rushed in to greet her lost playmate. As she was still on a leach, it meant that Catherine lost her balance and fell straight onto the closing door.

*Bang*

"Ouch! What the f…"

"Glimmer? What's happ… Who are you? And why is there a Golden Retriever trying to hump Huntara?"

The speaker, a dark-skinned man in the same age as this Georgette entered the hallway.

"It'f a girl…" Catherine replied as she massaged her potentially crushed nose. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if she tried anyway. She is the dumbest dog alive."

"WOOF!"

"Can it, you are. You said you'd behave."

"Woof!"

"You call THIS behaving? Now SIT."

The man looked at her, then the dogs, then at this Georgette. She had opened the door, probably purely out of surprise.

"Come on in, let me have a look at that."

"Bow, she is NOT coming in here."

"Glimmer, she got hurt on YOUR door. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you." Catherine glared at this Georgette/Glimmer or whatever the name was. "Adora. Sit. Still. Wait. Or we leave THIS. INSTANT."

"Woof."

"Adora? Oooh" the man named now shined up. "You are THAT lady."

"Bow…"

“Glimmer spent most of last week talking about you. And she made your dog sound like some kind of Shark-hybrid. Come on in, both of you. How about some tea? And let me check your nose."

Minutes later, Catherine had been seated down in a nice chair and a huge tea mug in front of her. Adora’s leach had been tied to a huge hook on the wall. It seemed to be forged for keeping elephants down. _I REALLY need to get one of those so I can get my Sunday mornings off…_ Catherine thought to herself. _Nah. Adora would probably just whine me awake then._ Even if Adora couldn’t move more than a few feet, she and Huntara were getting along pretty well. It looked a bit weird to see them, but over all they seemed to be like two muscular people who met at the gym and started to compare biceps.

It was obvious that they were on friendly terms.

That couldn't be said to be the case between the two women. Georgette or whatever was glaring at her, while Bow tried to be pleasant. Catherine had no idea what to say.

“So… Catherine was it? Tell us a bit about yourself?”

“She’s a jerk…” Georgette muttered.

“Glimmer…”

“Well, perhaps I am a bit too much WORKING CLASS to walk on YOUR expensive carpets? I at least have a decent job! A real job! I don’t have to live on mommy’s wallet!”

“You don’t know SHIT about me and my life! But I can tell a lot from your mess of a dog that is… “

Georgette pointed at Adora, who was busy sniffing Huntaras front leg while the latter looked smug. Catherine smirked.

“Yeah. A real mess of a dog. I’ll have you know that Adora is a pureblood.”

“Oh? What kind of blood? Ketchup?”

“GLIMMER!”

Catherine sighed. “This was a mistake. Thanks for the tea and the band-aid. We will leave now. “ She looked at Bow, not giving Georgette or Glimmer or whatever her name was an eye.

There was a small thud followed by an “ouch!” and then Glimmer said. “Okay, wait…”

Catherine turned around. “Oh?”

“Alright. Even if I don’t trust you to sit the proper way on a toilet seat…”

“Glimmer…”

“...It seems like Huntara has taken a like for your dog. It will probably be beneficial to them both to hang out occasionally. My Sundays are free and the park is probably big enough for them not to cause too much damage. Shall we arrange a date? We can let the dogs play and don’t interact more than necessary.”

That sounded pretty nice to Catherine’s ears. It was a good enough compromise. She could sit on a bench, reading on her phone, not having to interact with this Glimmer woman more than “hello” and “good bye”.

It wasn’t like she was single anyway.

* * *

_Next Sunday:_

*thud!*

“ADORA!”

“Woof! Woof!”

“It’s just a playdate. Yeesus…”

***

“Sparkles.”

“Jerkface.”

“I will be over here.”

“I’m sitting right here.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

They let the dogs play for about an hour, and then went separate ways.

_One week later._

“Sparkles.”

“Catherine Dacosta.”

“Oh, proper names? Really? I didn’t think you could spell.”

“One should always be polite when speaking to the mentally challenged.”

“Oh screw you Georgette.”

“No thanks. I will be on that bench.”

_Another week later._

“Hi Georgette”

“Hello Catherine.”

“I will be on that bench.”

“I will sit here.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

_Yet another week later._

“Catherine Dacosta.”

“That is my name, Georgette Glimmer.”

“Oh for god's sake! Just say Glimmer! Mom is the only one that calls me Georgette.”

“Alright. Glimmer. I thought it was a nick only your boyfriend used.”

“Boyfriend? Oh, Bow? He isn’t my boyfriend. We’re friends. We tried once but… Eh. He likes flamboyant boys too much.”

“Oh.”

“yeah.”

"I will sit over here."

"Yeah, ok."

_Saturday, since Sunday was thanksgiving._

"Catherine."

"Glimmer. Bow?"

"Hi Catherine!

"Nice to see you, what brings you here?"

"I am going to watch the dogs while you guys have a chat."

"What?"

"Yeah, I said it was a stupid idea. But he was persistent."

"Come on, I bet you guys could be friends if you gave it a shot. Here's a package of tea. Go have a cup."

"On a sunday?"

"Don't you live close by, Catherine?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"And you have seen Glimmer's home. It's only fair."

"...alright. lemon, sugar or honey?"

"Honey. Thanks."

***

In the end, Bow needed to run an errand for his dads, which sadly was impossible to perform with the dogs. So they had to take them with them to Catra's apartment.

_Well, it's not like the dogs will be the big problem here and... Did she just snort?_

Loud she said:

"Here's the honey."

"Thanks. Ooh, fresh from a farm?"

"I have a friend who lives for organic and ecological stuff. She hooked me up on it. It's good stuff."

Glimmer took a spoon and ate it straight from the can. "Mmm! Good!" She took another spoon, and only the third made it to her tea. She stirred around in her mug for a while as she looked over Catherine's apartment.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to say something about what a dump this is?"

"Should I? Why?"

Why indeed.

"Well… I just assumed…"

"You're assuming an awful lot about me. Let me see…. I am a snob, a bigot, a proper spoiled rich bitch who doesn't know what working means… I think that was all."

"...I didn't mean…"

"Of course you didn't. You're a real trusting person who doesn't hit first just to make sure no one hits her. Who doesn't assume that everyone is against her and definitely NOT insults her best friends just in case they decide to ever turn on her." Glimmer finished, and put down her mug. Huntara and Adora were laying side by side on the sofa. Glimmer shot the dogs a glance, Catherine was staring at Glimmer.

"...Whu?"

"Please. You're not some kind of mystery woman. You always have an insult ready, you treat Adora like crap and you're always defensive. It's not complicated."

Catherine's eyes slimmed.

"So you think you know me. Well then, Sparkles. Let me guess. Mom and Dad runs a business, hardly any time for you, spoils you but at the same time wants you to be a good little girl so you rebelled by getting large tattoos and started sleeping with bad boys and bad girls, trying to be 'street' but you never went outside without your credit card, and your doc martens were the real deal. And you never worked, until now when your Dad has given you a spot as vice president at the firm."

Glimmer… And reaction wasn't what Catherine had expected. She gave Catherine a look that was more tired than angry.

"This was a mistake. All of it. Thanks for the tea."

She rose from the table and went towards the hallway. Catherine bit her lip.

"Wait."

"For what? Another doze of you're insults and prejudices?"

Catras arms clutched her belly. She looked father teacup.

"...I'm sorry. I'm… I have a really nasty temperament, I know. I… please don't go."

She looked up from the table.Glimmer was already out in the throng. She had her high heeled leather boots in her hand, but she hadn't put them on.  
She stood up from the table and walked over to Glimmer. "I am sorry. I _was_ pissed that you were such a bitch but well… The first thing _I_ did was to scream at you so… I suppose… oh fuck me, You had your reasons, okay? I am sorry, I didn't mean to lash out at you, I let my stupid temper get the best of me again and I don't want you to be angry with me."

Glimmer was silent, but she didn't make any further attempt to leave. Catra just let her mouth go. _Just say whatever. Can't make it worse._

"I… People tend to second guess me. They look at me and think they know who I am. At least it always feels like that and…"  
Catherine sighed. "I grew up in an orphanage. I have no idea who my parents are. I just know I am a Molotov-cocktail of genes. I look like every damn minority there is. No money, no parents… And I don't want anyone's pity."

Catherine closed her eyes. "I just want someone to look at me and see beyond what I look like and just see… who I am." She snickered. "Heh. Like Adora does."

"You really love her."

Glimmer spoke for the first time.

Catherine smiled. "She doesn't care who I am or what I look like. Well, maybe I'm just the woman who feeds her but… She's always happy to see me. Always. Especially when I'm not in the mood for it."

There was a few moments of silcence as both women was staring at their feet. In the end it was Glimmer who spoke first.

"My dad was Korean."

"Was?"

"Yeah. Was. Let's leave it at that."

"Okay."

"Mom always made sure I was to know that I was just like any other girl. But I knew from a fairly early age that I wasn't."  
Glimmer looked up, straight into Catherine's eyes. "You said it. Rich. Because I inherited a damn fortune. Spoiled. Because moms way of dealing with the loss was to bury herself in work and throw toys at me to silence her bad conscience. And eyes that always make people look at me twice. You ticked off every box. I just wish… once. That someone didn't start there. That they actually got to know me. First."

"And insult you when they did?"

Catherine bit her lip again. _Stupid stupid stupid mouth!_

Then Glimmer's mouth started to move. It started to shake and rustle and finally… She started to laugh out loud. It was not a dry angry laugh, it was the loudest belly shaking laugh Catherine heard. After a moment, she felt the corners of her own mouth move upwards and soon she was laughing too.

Glimmer had to sit down, she was almost crying with laughter.

Finally, she calmed down enough to speak. "You-you… You...you…"

"Yeah. Me me. Me. Mia. Meaow."

That made Glimmer laugh again, and for at least a few minutes, there was nothing but laughter in the apartment.

Finally: "You-you incorrigible jerk!"

"Yeah. I know."

"You're not supposed to make me laugh you sod! I am supposed to be upset with you."

"Yeah. You ought to be."

Glimmer tried to get her voice steady. She swallowed a few times, took a napkin from her pocket to wipe off her cheeks.

"Okay. We're both kinda messed up. You want to be seen as who you are. I want to be seen as who I am. Our dogs pushed us together, but they're messed up as well so that went south immediately. Let's start again, from the beginning."

She stood up, and held out her hand to Catherine.

"Hi. I am Juliana Anne Diana Georgette Glimmer. I'm 29 years old, and filthy rich, still works as a practicing lawyer, specialised in inheritance and medical issues. I hate to work-out, but I do Pilates on Wednesdays to keep my aunt from nagging me. I dated Bow for five weeks until we realized we loved each other more as friends than anything else. Huntara was a gift from mom since she is convinced I will get killed by a thug any day. She plays tough, but give her chicken and she follows you to help and back. My favourite flower is the sulphich rose and I am a huge Dr. Who-fan. And my favourite food is Chicken Nuggets."

Catherine took her hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Georgette. I am Catherine Mia Dacosta. 31 years old, probably born on a Tuesday in June.  
I work as secretary and receptionist at the shadiest security company that exists. I practice boxing because punching things feels good but how I keep in shape is a mystery. I have dated six of the ladies at work, none of them lasted longer than seven weeks. I followed my friends to the dog pound to help them pick a dog, they didn't find one but this shabby looking pup decided to follow me and that's how I got Adora. She is too friendly for her own good and loves everyone including me, meaning she's axe-crazy. My favourite flower is dog rose, YES for real and I could eat pizza for lunch, dinner and breakfast."  
Short pause.  
"And just for your information, I'm gay.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Eh… Yeah… I am Bi myself, I don’t know… Some say I should say Pan, people say it’s kinda the same, but since I have only been with cis-people yet, I don’t think I could call myself pan within good concience and… Why am I even telling you this?”

“Because you think I am hot and that you want to bang me?”

“In your fucking dreams, Catherine. Do you have more tea?"

"Sure."

***

"Hi guys! Sorry to ditch my original plan, but you're alive both and the digs are napping I see So, how did it go?"

"Terrible, Bow. She's a psycho."

"Me? It's Glimmer who's the maniac."

"I knew the two of you would get along splendidly!"

***

"This Georgette… She's kinda cute, don't you think?"

"No, I DON'T think so, Scorpia! She is an annoying c-word, that's what she is."

"Mhm. Well, if you say so. But her hair looks nice. Purple and shiny. Looks a bit stiff though. "

"...It's pink. And it's sparkling. And it's actually pretty soft."

"Oh? And you know that HOW?"

"...Shut up."

"Only if you buy me lunch."

Catherine did buy her lunch.

_Two weeks later._

“Hi Catherine! Oh, You have a new shade of lipstick."

"Yeah. Got it from a friend. It suits my colours, she said."

“You look ...decent.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

“I will sit on that bench.”

“Do you mind if I sit on it as well?”

“No.”

“Um...Can I ask a question?”

“I dunno, can you?”

“Bow... he’s Bi?”

“Pan. But don’t get your hopes up, he’s taken. By one of them flamboyant lad I told you about.”

“I wasn’t asking that. Gay, remember? Just curious."

"If I'm single?"

"NO."

_Actually a Wednesday._

"Catherine! Hi! And Adora, hi girl!

"Woof!"

"Hi Glimmer! I didn't take you as a wal-mart girl."

"Who is? But it's close. Also, They have a cute one at the register."

"Aha? How does she look?"

"Well… Brown hair, freckles, cute… heh, kinda like you, but with longer hair."

"...Did you just call me cute?"

"No! I was talking about a completely different person."

"Woof!"

"Shut up, Adora!"

"Good girl, Adora… good girl."

_Somewhere between last time and the next time._

“Hi Glimmer!”

“Hello Cat! Ooh, new haircut? That's really short. It suits you.”

“Yeah. It's nice to cut down the forest at times."

"Oh, I hoped you did it for me?"

"Dream on. Can’t get it to fit under a hat like it was.”

“If you say so. It looks good anyway.”

“Oh, does it really?”

“Shut up, Cat. That bench? Mine.”

“Mkay.”

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

"You said it was your bench."

"And you're letting that stop you?"

"..."

"Besides, I can give a woman a compliment without wanting to shag her.”

“Shag. Do people really say that nowadays?”

“I don’t care, I like the word. ‘Let’s shag.’ it sounds… down to earth.”

“Says the woman who makes four times more than me a day.”

“Yes yes, rich bitch can’t understand the finer values in life. Please. I have seen you watch clips from Million Dollar Listing. As if you wouldn’t get a nice apartment if you had the money? ...Well, nicer. Your apartment was pretty neat."

“What? Sparkles being nice to me? What, do you want me to invite you over for tea again?”

“Maybe I do. Maybe I have wanted you to do that for some time."

“...”

“...”

“I only have Earl Grey this time."

“Do you still have that honey?”

“Of course.”

“Then lead the way.”

***

_One month later._

“Woof!”

“Bark!”

Blue and yellow eyes looked into blue, gold and dark eyes.

“Get out. It’s Sunday. Go and… chase a cat or something.”

“Woof!”

“Bark!”

“Whu… Huntara! No! Stop! Back! Don’taaaaaa…”

*Thud*

“Huntara. You are a bad dog.”

“Woof!”

“Bark!”

“Seriously, Adora is a real bad influence on Huntara.”

“Speak for yourself, Sparkles. I landed softer than I have in five years. Slept better to. How much did this bed cost?”

“Not enough to fill your big mouth with quarters, Cat. Oh, have you called Scorpia yet?”

“No… I don’t want to…”

“Coward. Do it or I will torture you with my cold feet.”

“Jerk.”

“Take one to know one. Now call her.”

"Um… Hey Scorpia… I mean Sophia. ...Yeah… about the Brunch next Sunday… Do you think you can set the table for four?"

A silence followed, and then Catherine hung up.

“What did she say?”

“I don’t know, she hadn’t stopped screaming when I hung up.”

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Now have a good life.


End file.
